A layperson who makes things legally permissible in the context of Buddhist monastic law, doing tasks that are not allowed for monks.

The sixth heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

The first of the “pure abodes;” also the name of the gods living there.

A river that flows down from the lake Anavatapta.

A shrine built to commemorate the Buddha’s going forth.

A shrine built to commemorate the Buddha’s going forth.

A king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A bird who shares one body with another bird, Dharma.

A place in Śūrasena.

A village.

A kind of fragrant aloe wood.

The basic components out of which the world and the personal self are formed, usually listed as a set of five.

(1) A brahmin. (2) A brahmin king.

A village.

Indra’s elephant.

A mountain.

The son of King Śreṇya Bimbisāra, who later becomes the king of Magadha.

A river.

One of the six teachers at the time of the Buddha.

The fifth and highest of the “pure abodes;” also the name of the gods living there.

A yakṣiṇī.

A young brahmin and disciple of Pauṣkarasāri.

A courtesan.

The tenth heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha. (2) A disciple of a former Buddha. (3) A disciple of a future Buddha. (4) A king in the past.

The head of a guild who was Jyotiṣka in a former life.

A wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, famous for his generosity to the poor, who became a patron of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought Prince Jeta’s Grove (Skt. Jetavana), to be the Buddha’s first monastery, a place where the monks could stay during the monsoon.

A lake that is considered the source of four great rivers, including the Ganges, in Buddhist cosmology.

A country.

A village or town.

A buddha in the past.

A ṛṣi in the past.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha. (2) A buddha in the past.

Lit. “Without a Straw.” A nāga king, who was the brahmin Agnidatta in a former life.

A yakṣa in the country of Bhraṣṭolā.

A buddha in the past.

The fifth heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

The eighth heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

A yakṣa.

A pastry made of flour. Also rendered in this translation as “pastry.”

A teacher who was the Buddha in a former life.

A female arhat, one who has achieved the fourth and final level of attainment on the śrāvaka path and attained liberation with the cessation of all afflictive emotions.

One who has achieved the fourth and final level of attainment on the śrāvaka path and attained liberation with the cessation of all afflictive emotions.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A buddha in the past.

A lost verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

A buddha in the past.

Five kinds of ash made from five kinds of plants, which are used as medicines.

A river.

A country.

An uncle of King Mahāpraṇāda.

An act of recitation of particular verses performed by a monastic when he or she receives offerings from others. This act is considered to transfer the merit produced by the donor to deities, causing those deities to protect and confer benefits on the person whose name is pronounced in the recitation.

A ṛṣi in the past.

Five kinds of astringent material produced from five kinds of plants and used as medicines.

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

A nāga. See also n.­441.

One of the seven golden mountains.

The second of the “pure abodes;” also the name of the gods living there.

One of the eight cold hells.

(1) The physician of King Prasenajit. (2) The name of Prince Kuśa disguised as a physician.

A garuḍa.

A buddha in the past.

An elephant.

A country.

A mountain. See also n.­746.

A yakṣa in Heaped Up. See also n.­410.

The city of Southern Pañcāla.

A shrine near Vaiśālī.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A horse king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A grove near Rājagṛha in Magadha.

A king of Bandhumatī in the past.

(1) A city. (2) A river.

A village.

A woman in Sunrise, sister of Sunny. See also n.­319.

One of the eight hot hells.

A village.

A king.

A monk.

(1) The wife of an elephant king that was the Buddha in a former life. (2) A courtesan.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A woman who was Mahā­maudgalyāyana’s mother in her previous life and was reborn in Marīcika World. See also n.­106.

A city.

A city or village.

A disciple of the Buddha.

Another name for Mahābhāgīratha, a buddha in the past.

“Fortunate Chariot,” an epithet of the Ganges.

(1) A ṛṣi in the past. (2) A disciple of the Buddha Vipaśyin.

A buddha in the past.

A ṛṣi.

One of the two brothers in Mathurā who are predicted by the Buddha to build a monastery in the future.

A householder and the father of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

The king of Nandivardhana.

A son of Bhava and half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A son of Bhava and half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A son of Bhava and half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A country.

A ṛṣi in the past.

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

The juice of lotus roots.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight cold hells.

(1) A buddha in the past. (2) A god.

The heaven of Brahmā, a god who rules the Sahā World.

(1) A king of Kāśi in the past. (2) A buddha in the past. (3) One of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A class of gods who inhabit the second heaven of the realm of form.

A pond.

(1) The wife of Brahmāyus. (2) The wife of King Brahmadatta.

A pond.

(1) The chief priest of King Śaṅkha. (2) A buddha in the past.

One of the four castes, that of the highly respected priestly caste of classical Indian society.

A brahmin who was the Buddha in a former life.

A village in Kosala.

Simple food to be eaten before the main meal. See also n.­1088.

A potter who was the Buddha in a former life.

A class of gods who inhabit one of the levels in the highest heaven of the realm of form.

A city.

A buddha who does not possess the thirty-two marks and eighty minor marks.

One of the eight cold hells.

A kind of dairy product made from fermented milk.

A country.

A nāga who was the Buddha in a former life.

A female mendicant who falsely accuses the Buddha.

One of the lower social classes that are outside, and beneath, the four castes.

A yakṣiṇī. See also n.­438.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A kind of person who possesses superhuman strength.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

The four social classes of traditional Hindu society: brahmin , kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra.

The Bodhisattva’s charioteer.

A river.

A city on the Ganges that became the capital of Magadha after Rājagṛha.

A heaven.

A kind of medicine applied around the eyes.

A formula for ordination that consists of the words, “Come, monk.” This is one of the ways of ordaining a man as monk and is said to have been used by the Buddha until he established the rules of the standard ordination ceremony.

A brahmin who is the Buddha in a former life.

A self-awakened one.

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A garuḍa.

A brahmin.

A city.

Another name of Bhavila, a half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A park near Vārāṇasī where the Buddha gave the first sermon.

A city.

The relative nature of phenomena, which arises in dependence on causes and conditions. Together with the four truths of the noble ones, this was the first teaching given by the Buddha.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A city ruled by King Suprabuddha.

Another name of King North Pañcāla.

An elephant who was sent to kill the Buddha.

A king at the time of the Buddha Ratnaśikhin.

A householder.

A city.

One half of a two-headed bird, the half that was the Buddha in a former life.

A yakṣa in Retuka.

One of the translators of the Tibetan Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

(1) The name common to two of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda. (2) A buddha in the past. (3) One of the Four Great Kings. (4) A haṃsa.

A kind of meditation, often enumerated in terms of increasingly more subtle states of concentration.

A buddha in the past.

A king in the past.

A female slave of King Ikṣuvāku.

A yakṣa, attendant of King Māndhātṛ.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A measure of volume.

A kinnara king.

The name of Svāgata, a disciple of the Buddha, before he meets the Buddha.

A ṛṣi.

One of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda.

A yakṣa. See also n.­439.

Abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual intercourse, lying, drinking, adorning oneself with garlands and perfume and lying in a large bed, enjoying dance and music, and eating after noon.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

A mountain.

One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and physical objects, and mind and mental phenomena, to which the six consciousnesses are added). Also refers here to the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind.

A yakṣa. See also n.­395.

Fat of five kinds of animals, which is used as a medicine.

A merchant who was Dravya Mallaputra in a former life.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening. In other contexts the term may refer to the five sense “faculties” corresponding to the five physical senses.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

The second of the three realms where living beings transmigrate.

The third and highest of the three realms where living beings transmigrate.

The meditative application of awareness to the body, perception, mind, and dharmas; part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

Divine guardians of the four directions, namely, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, and Vaiśravaṇa. Also referred to as the Four Protectors of the World.

Long life, beauty, health, and being loved.

Four deities guarding the four quarters, namely, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūḍhaka in the south, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Vaiśravaṇa in the north. Also referred to as the Four Great Kings.

Immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

The Buddha’s first teaching, which explains suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering.

The Buddha’s four kinds of self-confidence in preaching the Dharma.

The wife of the brahmin Agnidatta.

The first of the four spiritual achievements, which is considered to be entering “the stream” of the noble ones that flows inexorably toward awakening.

A country.

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

A rich man who was Upālin in a former life.

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

A yakṣa. See also 8.­67 and n.­474.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

(1) Family name of the Buddha Śākyamuni. (2) A nāga king.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A mountain.

A nāga king.

A continent in the west.

A class of gods who inhabit the first heaven of the realm of form.

A class of gods who inhabit the lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm, the dwelling place of the Four Great Kings.

A nāga.

A country.

A kind of sandalwood.

A brahmin.

The Gṛdhra­kūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

A yakṣa.

One of the eight cold hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

Six ill-behaved monks whose conduct often causes the Buddha’s establishment of new rules: Nanda, Upananda, Punarvasu, Chanda, Aśvaka, and Udāyin.

A city.

Thickened sugarcane juice, which is the same as phāṇita.

A type of solid sugar.

A type of solid sugar.

(1) A yakṣa in Kashmir; see also n.­396. (2) A ṛṣi.

Refers to rṣi Guṃjika’s abode , a place near Nādikā, a village in the country of Vṛji.

A perfumer, the father of Upagupta.

One of the eight cold hells.

The daughter of the brahmin Agnidatta.

A kind of bird, which is identified with the swan or goose.

An epithet of Viṣṇu.

A river.

A measure of length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.

A city.

A son of King Ikṣuvāku.

A teacher.

A ṛṣi. See also n.­417

A city or village.

One of the eight hot hells.

The name given to the five highest levels of existence within the form realm.

A disciple of the Buddha.

The Himalayas.

A buddha in the past.

One of the eight cold hells.

A nāga.

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.­1281– 2.1482.

A village.

A forest near the village Icchānaṅgalā.

A king who was an ancestor of the Śākyans.

One of the eight hot hells.

(1) A god, also known as “Śakra.” (2) A brahmin. (3) A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A river.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the seven golden mountains.

An epithet of Śiva.

A brahmin who was the Buddha in a former life.

The daughter of Prince Viśvantara.

A forest.

A ṛṣi in the past.

A river.

A short form of Jaṅghākāśyapa, a disciple of the Buddha.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A nāga.

A story of one of the Buddha’ s former lives.

See “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”

One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors. Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.

A buddha in the past.

The physician of King Bimbisāra.

A brahmin. See also n.­809.

A buddha in the past.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A brahmin youth who was the Buddha in a former life and later named Mahāgovinda.

A woman who was the Buddha’s mother in a former life.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A ṛṣi.

A buddha in the past.

Another name of Kāla Mṛgāraputra, a disciple of the Buddha.

A city.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park (Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off. A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions. Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka‍—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels‍—miraculously appeared and began squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life. King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as Kalandakanivāsa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.). For more details and other origin stories, see the 84000 Knowledge Base article Veṇuvana and Kalandakanivāpa.

A country.

A village.

A mountain.

An epithet of a Hindu god, Kubera.

A buddha in the past.

A king of the Kushan empire in the second century ᴄᴇ.

A forest in Sunrise in Kosala. See also n.­318

A country in the northern region.

A horse of the Bodhisattva.

A shrine built to commemorate the Buddha’s going forth.

The descendants of the ṛṣi Kaṇva.

A shell used as a coin.

A ṛṣi.

The city of the Śākyans.

A son of King Ikṣuvāku.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A village.

A coin.

A country or a city named the same.

A country.

(1) A ṛṣi in the past (’drob skyong gi bu). (2) A ṛṣi (’od srung). (3) A buddha in the past (’od srung). (4) Another name of Mahākāśyapa (’od srung).

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

(1) A buddha in the past. (2) A disciple of the Buddha. (3) The name of a brahmin family.

(1) The king of the country of Kuru. (2) A king in the past.

“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.

A buddha in the past.

One of the seven golden mountains.

A kind of sugar.

A village.

A disciple of the Buddha.

(1) A village. (2) A forest near the village of Kimpilā.

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.See also n.­728.

A class of semidivine beings, whose male counterpart is the kinnara. They resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “Is that a man?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status.

Another name of Mahā­maudgalyāyana.

A village.

A country that the Buddha frequently visited.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A buddha in the past.

A village or town. See also n.­564.

A king who is the father of the Buddha in a former life.

(1) A nāga king. (2) The son of Prince Viśvantara.

The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

A buddha in the past. Note that there appear to be three distinct buddhas with the name Kṣemaṃkara as is listed at 9.­1506. See also n.­908.

A god.

A mountain.

A mountain.

Sour gruel.

A country. See also n.­563.

A kind of demon. The name uses a play on the word āṇḍa, which means egg but is a euphemism for testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumba, or “pot”).

A country.

A yakṣiṇī.

A city.

(1) A country (sgra ngan). (2) A continent in the north (sgra mi snyan).

A prince who was the Buddha in a former life.

A city.

The city where the Buddha entered parinirvāṇa.

A hall near Vaiśālī where the Buddha frequently stayed.

A village.

A disciple of the Buddha.

Minor defilements of mind that arise in the wake of the six primary defilements.

A tribe or clan based in Vaiśālī.

The wife of the son of the brahmin Agnidatta.

A snake.

A ṛṣi.

The royal family of the Kushan dynasty.

A village. See also n.­338.

Followers of a materialistic school of philosophy.

One of the eight cold hells.

A Brahmin in Kosala, father of Saṃjaya.

The garden where the Buddha was born.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A monk who is predicted by the Buddha to appear in the future.

The wife of Prince Viśvantara.

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra­kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

A buddha in the past.

The deity who rules the Brahmā World.

A class of gods who inhabit the third heaven of the realm of form.

A wheel-turning king who was the Buddha in a former life. It is also the name of his eldest son and the other eighty-four thousand eldest sons in his line of succession.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A disciple of the Buddha. He is also referred to as “Maudgalyāyana” and “Kolita.”

(1) The Buddha’s mother. (2) The mother of a future Buddha whose name is also Śākyamuni.

The Buddha’s aunt and stepmother, who became the first nun.

A king in the past.

Another name of Śakuna.

The first king of the world.

(1) A householder and lay follower of the Buddha. (2) A householder in a former life of a person with the same name.

(1) The wife of the householder Mahāsena and lay follower of the Buddha. (2) The wife of a householder in a former life of a person with the same name.

A wheel-turning king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A nāga.

A minister who was the Buddha in a former life.

A buddha in the past.

A yakṣa.

A river.

A city.

(1) A buddha in the future. (2) A disciple of the Buddha.

An aquatic monster.

“Garland-Holder,” a class of divine beings who live on Mount Sumeru.

A country.

Another name for Dravya Mallaputra, a disciple of the Buddha.

A tribe or clan.

A lotus pond where the nāga king Supratiṣṭhita lives.

A lotus pond where the nāga king Supratiṣṭhita lives.

A wheel-turning king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A village or town.

A kinnarī.

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra: (1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

A demon. See also “Māra.”

A world where Mahā­maudgalyāyana’s mother was reborn.

A buddha in the past.

A pond.

One of the six teachers at the time of the Buddha.

The charioteer of Indra (Śakra).

One of the lower social classes that are outside, and beneath, the four castes.

A town.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha Śākyamuni. (2) A disciple of a buddha in the past. (3) A disciple of a buddha in the future.

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.Also rendered in this translation as “samādhi.”

A village.

The central part of the continent of Jambu.

A householder.

A city in Videha.

One of the monastic administrative titles.

One of the monastic administrative titles. See also n.­103

In Buddhist cosmology, this is commonly described as the outer ring of mountains at the edge of the flat disk that is the world, with Mount Sumeru in the center.

A mountain.

See Mount Sumeru.

A mountain.

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

A mountain.

A mountain in the northern region.

(1) A mountain. (2) Another mountain mentioned in the story of Prince Sudhana, which is listed along with the mountain of the same name (differentiated in Tib. as phur pa’i dbyibs).

A range of mountains located to the north of the Narmada River.

(1) The son of the brahmin Agnidatta (ri bo can). (2) The son of the nāga Apalāla (ri bo).

A lay follower of the Buddha.

Another name for Viśākhā Mṛgāramātā, a lay follower of the Buddha.

Another name of Kāla Mṛgāraputra, a disciple of the Buddha.

A rogue who was the Buddha in a former life.

(1) Another name of Prince Water Born. (2) A non-Buddhist ascetic teacher.

An ancient title given to ascetics, monks, hermits, and saints, namely, those who have attained the realization of truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation. Here also used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A lost verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

Another name for Māndhātṛ, a wheel-turning king who was the Buddha in a former life. See also n.­571.

A yakṣiṇī. See also n.­444.

A place near Vairambhya in Śūrasena.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A yakṣiṇī. See also n.­444.

A village.

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

A city in Kosala.

A kind of person who possesses superhuman strength.

A river.

A country.

A village in Magadha.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha. (2) A herdsman. (3) A nāga king.

A forest of Indra.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A disciple of the Buddha. The Tibetan instance of dga’ yod gnas brtan ka pi na, which would render the name “Nandika Kapphiṇa,” is read in the Sanskrit source as brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇas sthaviraḥ, “the elder Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa.” This figure seems to be identical to Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa.

A potter.

A country or town.

An auspicious symbol, which is also called triratna or nandipada.

A river.

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions, he is famous for his strength.

A buddha in the past.

One of the two brothers in Mathurā who were predicted by the Buddha to build a monastery in the future.

A monastery in Mathurā predicted by the Buddha to be built a hundred years after his nirvāṇa.

A person who has attained the third of the four stages of spiritual achievement and is considered to be free from future rebirth in the realm of desire.

A village. See also n.­339.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A brahmin.

A wheel-turning king who is a descendant of Mahādeva and a former life of the Buddha.

One of the seven golden mountains.

One of the six teachers at the time of the Buddha.

A class of gods in the fifth of the six heavens in the desire realm.

One of the two kings of the country of Pañcāla.

A son of King Ikṣuvāku.

A brahmin.

A village.

A person who has attained the second of the four stages of spiritual achievement and is considered to be reborn in the realm of desire only one more time.

A village.

A forest near Otalā.

A brahmin.

One of the three robes of a Buddhist monastic, which is worn on occasions such as almsbegging and the community’s formal meeting.

A buddha in the past.

A young brahmin.

A member of the Tibetan translation group of the Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

A village. See also n.­436

Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoché’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Tri Songdetsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samyé Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).One of the proofreaders of the Tibetan translation of the Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

A country.

A general of yakṣas.

A city.

A class of gods who inhabit the highest of the six heavens of the desire realm. The inhabitants enjoy objects created by others, then dispose of them themselves.

A buddha in the past.

A mango grove.

A lost verse text, which was possibly a Mūla­sarvāstivādin counterpart of the Pārāyanavagga of the Suttanipāta in the Pāli canon and included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

The fourth heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

A class of gods who inhabit the seventh heaven of the realm of form.

Name of a forest of kovidāra trees possessed by the Thirty-Three Gods.

The term is also rendered in this translation as “apūpa.”

A shrine in Pāṭali Village.

A village which eventually became Pāṭaliputra, the capital of Magadha.

A river.

A brahmin.

The special private dwelling of the Buddha.

A hunter.

Thickened sugarcane juice.

A short form of “Pilindavatsa,” a monk.

A monk. Also referred to as “Pilinda.”

A wheel-turning king in the past.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A mendicant who is converted by the Buddha. See also n.­344.

For an explanation of this term, see 10.­2–10.­22. See also Yamagiwa 2001.

A meeting of the community of monks held twice a month to recite the vinaya rules and confirm that the community is properly functioning in accordance with them.

A city.

A country.

A river. See also n.­362.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A buddha in the past.

A god.

A mountain.

(1) A buddha in the past (sgra snyan dbyangs). (2) A king who was Mahāpraṇāda’s father (rab sgrogs).

The king of Kosala.

A kind of person who possesses superhuman strength.

A measure of volume.

The collection of monastic rules, which is supposed to be recited at the formal meeting of monastics every fortnight.

An independent Brahman.

A mango forest.

The afflictions that hold one back from awakening, often listed as desire (rāga), anger (pratigha), pride (māna), ignorance (avidyā), wrong views (kudṛṣti), and indecision (vicikitsā).

One of the lower social classes that are outside, and beneath, the four castes.

A nāga. See also n.­442.

One of the levels in the highest heaven of the realm of form; also the name of the gods living there.

A lay follower of the Buddha.

One of the six teachers at the time of the Buddha.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha from Sūrpāraka (gang po). (2) A disciple of the Buddha from Kuṇḍopadhāna (gang po). (3) A haṃsa (gang ba). (4) A buddha in the past (rdzogs ldan).

A buddha in the past.

(1) The parrot of Āmrapālī. (2) A haṃsa who was the Buddha in a former life.

The son of the Buddha. Also referred to as “Rāhulabhadra.”

(1) Another name of Rāhula. (2) The son of a future Buddha whose name is Śākyamuni.

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

An elephant. See also n.­776.

A city.

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

A female rākṣasa, a class of flesh-eating demons.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

(1) A wandering mendicant. (2) A mendicant living in Nālandā.

One of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda.

Five kinds of resin that are used as medicines.

A village or town. See also n.­414.

A disciple of the Buddha.

An nickname of Revata, a disciple of the Buddha.

One of the eight hot hells.

An uncle of Ānanda.

The wife of the Moon.

A village or town.

A city.

A pond in Campā

A place near Nādikā, a village in the country of Vṛji.

A lay follower of the Buddha.

A park near Vārāṇasī where the Buddha gave the first sermon.

A river.

The prātimokṣa rules for monks and nuns, ten rules for novices, six rules for female probationers, and five rules for laypeople.

The wife of Indra.

“Always Excited,” a class of divine beings who live on Mount Sumeru.

A village or town.

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings. The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

A monk.

(1) A ṛṣi. (2) A ṛṣi who is a nephew of Kaineya.

A verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins and preserved in the Bhaiṣajyavastu of the Mūla­sarvāstivāda Vinaya.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A country mentioned in the story of the physician Ātreya and the story of King Māndhātṛ.

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

A king in the past. Also referred to as “Mahāśakuni.”

Name of the ancient tribe in which the Buddha was born as a prince; their kingdom was based to the east of Kośala, in the foothills near the present-day border of India and Nepal, with Kapilavastu as its capital.

(1) The present Buddha. (2) A buddha in the past. (3) A buddha in the future.

A village.

A village. See also n.­567.

A village.

Bombax heptaphyllum or Salmalia malabarica (a lofty and thorny tree).

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.Also rendered in this translation as “meditation.”

A kind of meditative concentration.

A householder who was the Buddha in a former life.

A buddha in the past.

A young Brahmin, son of Lucky.

One of the six teachers at the time of the Buddha.

A city where the Buddha descended from the heaven of the Thirty-Three gods.

The five realms of gods, humans, animals, spirits, and hell-denizens. “Ever-revolving” is an adjective applied to saṃsāra with its constant fluctuations.

The Connected Discourses, one of the four divisions of the Sūtrapiṭaka.

An epithet of Śiva.

(1) A king in the future. (2) A ṛṣi.

A village.

A yakṣa.

A hunter.

A river.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha. (2) A disciple of a buddha in the past. (3) A disciple of a Buddha in the future.

Candied sugar.

A disciple of the Buddha. Note that this name rendered as sprul khol in the Degé Kangyur.

A buddha in the past.

According to traditional accounts, the Kashmiri preceptor Sarvajñādeva was among the “one hundred” paṇḍitas invited by Trisong Detsen (r. 755–797/800) to assist with the translation of the Buddhist scriptures into Tibetan. Sarvajñādeva assisted in the translation of more than twenty-three works, including numerous sūtras and the first translations of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra and Nāgārjuna’s Suhṛllekha. Much of this work was likely carried out in the first years of the ninth century and may have continued into the reign of Ralpachen (ral pa can), who ascended the throne in 815 and died in 838 or 841 ᴄᴇ.One of the translators of the Tibetan Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

A name given to Viśvantara, a prince who was the Buddha in a former life. See also n.­775.

A buddha in the past.

One of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda.

A lost verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

A country.

Sour gruel.

Any cutaneous disease.

One of the eight hot hells.

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

A minister, brother of Susena.

These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

A nāga.

Part of the thirty-seven aspects of awakening.

Seven kinds of treasures of a wheel-turning king, which are the precious chakra, elephant, horse, jewel, woman, householder, and minister.

A king who is the Buddha in a former life.

A village.

A name common to thirty buddhas in the past. See also n.­912.

(1) A buddha in the past. (2) A general.

A river.

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions.

The practice of the bodhisattva, which consists of giving, morality, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom.

A disciple of the Buddha.

One of the two kings of the country of Pañcāla.

A term used broadly to denote a spiritual practitioner.

During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was the capital city of the powerful kingdom of Kośala, ruled by King Prasenajit, who became a follower and patron of the Buddha. It was also the hometown of Anāthapiṇḍada, the wealthy patron who first invited the Buddha there, and then offered him a park known as Jetavana, Prince Jeta’s Grove, which became one of the first Buddhist monasteries. The Buddha is said to have spent about twenty-five rainy seasons with his disciples in Śrāvastī, thus it is named as the setting of numerous events and teachings. It is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A country.

A country.

Another name of Bhavatrāta, a half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A self-awakened one in the future.

The name of Prince Kuśa disguised as a cook.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A lost verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

A lost verse text possibly included in the Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

A village in the country of Kuru.

A forest near Sthūlakoṣṭhaka, a village in the country of Kuru.

The third gravest type of offense for a monk or nun, which requires confession in the presence of another monk or nun. Attempting one of the two gravest offenses, pārājika and saṅghāvaśeṣa, constitutes this category. For instance, if a monk attempts to kill a person and does not succeed, his offense is categorised as sthūlātyaya.

A person who has attained the first of the four stages of spiritual achievement.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A class of gods who inhabit the ninth heaven of the realm of form.

A class of gods who inhabit the fourth of the “pure abodes.”

A buddha in the past.

(1) One of the seven golden mountains. (2) The city of the Thirty-Three Gods.

Another name of Anāthapiṇḍada.

(1) A king, the Buddha’s father. (2) The father of a future buddha named Śākyamuni.

A prince and a king who were the Buddha in former lives.

The meeting hall of the Thirty-Three Gods.

One of the four castes, that of commoners or servants.

A class of gods who inhabit the third of the “pure abodes.”

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).Here it is used as an epithet for the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A buddha in the past.

A pond. See also n.­345.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha. (2) A buddha in the past.

A nāga king.

A female mendicant who falsely accuses the Buddha.

(1) A buddha in the past. (2) A non-Buddhist teacher, an ascetic.

A woman in Sunrise, sister of Beautiful . See also n.­319.

A village or town in Kosala. See also n.­317.

The six modes of supernormal cognition or ability, namely, clairvoyance, clairaudience, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, the ability to perform miracles, and the knowledge of the destruction of all mental defilements. The first five are considered mundane or worldly and can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis as well as Buddhist arhats and bodhisattvas. The sixth is considered to be supramundane and can be attained only by Buddhist yogis.

A king and the Buddha’s maternal grandfather (according to Sbhv).

A future self-awakened one.

(1) A nāga king (rab brtan). (2) The king of banyan trees (shin tu rab gnas).

A country.

A city.

A self-awakened one.

A minister, brother of Sena.

A sūtra in the section of the path in the Saṃyuktāgama, which corresponds to SĀc 619, SN 47.19, etc.

A sūtra in the section of the aggregates in the Saṃyuktāgama, which corresponds to SĀc 263, SN 22.101, etc.

A buddha in the past.

A village or town.

A peacock who was the Buddha in a former life.

A disciple of the Buddha.

An outcaste tribe.

A nāga.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A brahmin youth who was the Buddha in a former life.

The formal act of making something one’s own through pronouncement before another monastic.

A forest in Mount Uśīra.

A buddha in the past.

A river.

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Ten kinds of a buddha’s cognitive power.

A nāga.

Thirty-seven kinds of practices to be accomplished by those who seek awakening.

The heaven of the desire realm just above the heaven of the Four Great Kings atop Sumeru.

A class of gods who inhabit the heaven of the desire realm just above the heaven of the Four Great Kings atop Sumeru.

Those who belong to any of the first to seventh of the eight stages of spiritual achievement, the eighth being that of an arhat, who needs no further training.

Body, speech, and mind.

Mental attitudes peculiar to the Buddha, which are being neither pleased nor displeased whether an audience is responsive, unresponsive, or a mixture of both.

Three supernormal knowledges: the knowledge of divine sight, the knowledge of former lives, and the knowledge of the extinction of impurity.

A yakṣiṇī.

A buddha in the past. See also n.­915.

A brahmin who was the chief priest of Vaiśālī.

The place where the Buddha showed the skeleton of the Buddha Kāśyapa to monks.

Another name of Bhavanandin, a half brother of Pūrṇa from Sūrpāraka.

A king who was the Buddha in a former life.

A class of gods in the desire realm among whom the Bodhisattva is supposed to be born in his penultimate life, before that in which he attains full awakening.

A verse text possibly included in the lost Kṣudraka­piṭaka of the Mūla­sarvāstivādins.

A son of King Ikṣuvāku.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A monk who was predicted by the Buddha to appear in the future.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A nāga king.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A disciple of the Buddha.

Another name of Śāriputra.

The younger brother of Indra.

A king, the father of King Māndhātṛ.

A mountain.

A river on the banks of which the Buddha engaged in ascetic practice before his awakening.

A disciple of the Buddha.

A village.

(1) A buddha in the past (dam pa). (2) A young brahmin who was the Buddha in a former life (bla ma).

A disciple of the Buddha.

A town.

The wife of King Bimbisāra and mother of Ajātaśatru.

A country.

A brahmin.

The city of the Licchavis.

One of the Four Great Kings and god of wealth.

One of the four castes, that of merchants.

A mountain.

Vajrapāṇi means “Wielder of the Vajra.” In the Pali canon, he appears as a yakṣa guardian in the retinue of the Buddha. In the Mahāyāna scriptures he is a bodhisattva and one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha.” In the tantras, he is also regarded as an important Buddhist deity and instrumental in the transmission of tantric scriptures.

A ṛṣi who became the Buddha’s disciple. See also n.­100.

A river.

A village or town. See also n.­335.

A nāga king.

A ṛṣi in the past.

A ṛṣi in the past.

A yakṣa.

Also known as Benares, one of the oldest cities of northeast India on the banks of the Ganges, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. It was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kāśi, and in the Buddha’s time it had been absorbed into the kingdom of Kośala. It was an important religious center, as well as a major city, even during the time of the Buddha. The name may derive from being where the Varuna and Assi rivers flow into the Ganges. It was on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī that the Buddha first taught the Dharma, in the location known as Deer Park (Mṛgadāva). For numerous episodes set in Vārāṇasī, including its kings, see The Hundred Deeds , Toh 340.

The chief minister of Magadha.

A god.

(1) A king at the time of the Buddha Ratnaśikhin (gos sbyin). (2) A god (nor lha).

(1) A ṛṣi in the past. (2) The brother of Bharadvāja, a disciple of the Buddha Vipaśyin. (3) The family name of an old ascetic.

A buddha in the past.

The word Vāsiṣṭha, lit. “the descendant of Vasiṣṭha (an ancient ṛṣi),” is used “in polite address to anyone without regard to ancestry” (BHSD q.v.).

(1) A brahmin living in the country of King Piṇḍavaṃśa. (2) A brahmin who is the Buddha in a past life.

The king of asuras.

A village.

The residence of a king.

A series of verses that were supposed to prevent dangers.

A river.

A measure of weight.

(1) A country. (2) The continent in the east.

One of the translators and proofreaders of the Tibetan Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya from India.

A buddha in the past.

One of the seven golden mountains.

A buddha in the past.

(1) A general, son of King Prasenajit. (2) One of the Four Great Kings. The Tib. lus ’phags po is probably erroneous; see n.­321 and n.­329.

One of the Four Great Kings.

The chief consort of King Śaṅkha.

A lay follower of the Buddha.

A god.

A buddha in the past.

One of the seven kings mentioned in the story of Govinda.

A god.

(1) A king in the past (thams cad kyi bshes gnyen). (2) A rṣi in the past (sna tshogs bshes).

A prince who was the Buddha in a former life.

The city of King Viśvāmitra.

A country.

A name assumed by Prince Kuśa, the Buddha in a former life.

A prince who was the Buddha in a former life. See also n.­869.

The name of a sitting place built for the Buddha in the northern region.

One of the eight cold hells.

An elephant.

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13. Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

A kind of inferior wheel-turning king.

A city. See also n.­341.

A village.

A village.

A village. See also n.­337.

A disease caused by an imbalance of wind as one of the humors of the body.

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa. Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Female yakṣas, a class of semidivine beings that haunt or protect natural places and cities. They can be malevolent or benevolent, and are known for bestowing wealth and worldly boons.

A class of gods who inhabit the third of the six heavens of the desire realm, characterized by freedom from difficulty.

The god of death.

A river.

(1) A disciple of the Buddha who was a son of a wealthy householder. (2) A disciple of the Buddha whose right hand was impaired. (3) A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A lay brother living in Nādikā.

(1) A buddha in the past. (2) A lay brother living in Nādikā.

A country of Greeks.

A seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk, who studied in Nālandā monastery in India and translated many texts including the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

An Indian measure of distance equal to 16,000 cubits, or about 4.5 miles (7.4 km), or approximately 4000 fathoms (Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary).

One of the seven golden mountains.